(Photo by Mario Renzi)
Lewis Hamilton (No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas) has won the World Championship for a record-equalling seventh time after he delivered a superb drive in a dramatic Turkish Grand Prix. Run in the most challenging wet weather/slick track conditions imaginable, Hamilton turned in his finest performance of the season to claim his 10th win in 14 races, clinching the championship with three rounds to spare. Hamilton was running in fifth for much of an eventful race but used all of his experience to make his intermediate tires last for 50 of the 58 laps to take the checkered flag a staggering 31.6 seconds clear of Sergio Perez (No. 11 Racing Point BWT Mercedes), with Sebastian Vettel (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari) finishing an excellent third and Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc (No. 16 Scuderia Ferrari) fourth. Valtteri Bottas (No. 77 Mercedes-AMG Petronas), the only man who could have prevented Hamilton from wrapping up the title here, endured a miserable afternoon, spinning twice and finishing 14th. Indeed, Hamilton put a lap on his crestfallen team-mate with a dozen laps to go. Hamilton's remarkable performance was befitting of a driver who can now claim to be the most decorated the sport has ever seen. Michael Schumacher won his seventh title at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2004. It was a record many thought would stand the test of time. But Hamilton, the man who grew up on a Stevenage council estate, has now matched the German great with his sixth championship in seven remarkable years. Hamilton also has more wins (94), more poles (97) and more podiums (163) than any driver who has gone before. (Thank you to Phil Duncan/The Telegraph)
(Multimatic)
The No. 55 Mazda Racing Multimatic DPi/Michelin driven by Harry Tincknell, John Bomarito and Ryan Hunter-Reay won the long-delayed Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring on Saturday night, the first victory at America's greatest endurance sports car race for the Japanese manufacturer. Juan Pablo Montoya/Dane Cameron/Simon Pagenaud (No. 6 Acura Team Penske Acura ARX-05 DPi/Michelin) finished an eventful second, which allowed Acura to add the manufacturer title to the team and driver championships. The No. 77 Mazda Racing Multimatic DPi/Michelin shared by Olivier Pla, Oliver Jarvis and Tristan Nunez finished third in the race. But the even bigger news was that the No. 7 Acura Team Penske Acura ARX-05 DPi/Michelin co-driven by Helio Castroneves, Ricky Taylor and Alexander Rossi outlasted mechanical issues to finish eighth in the Daytona Prototype international (DPi) class, seven laps behind the race winner but one point ahead of its closest competitor in the final IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship standings in the driver, team and manufacturer categories. The runner-up in the championships - the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi V.R/Michelin co-driven by Renger van der Zande, Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon - also was beset by problems and finished seventh in the race. Team Penske’s No. 7 car then encountered mechanical issues and the championship seemed out of reach. Forty minutes into the race, the left intercooler malfunctioned on the car. A 25-minute repair left the car far behind the field and in desperate need of a miracle. “We’re going to fight until the end,” Castroneves said while the work was underway. “Anything is possible. We’re going to keep fighting. We’re going to come back and keep going. It wasn’t meant to be, but it ain’t over. I don’t want to lose hope right now. I know it sounds difficult. It is.” After claiming a season championship for the first time in his 23-year professional career in the United States, Castroneves reflected, “In racing, anything is possible,” he said. “We started the season with no points on the board and all of a sudden we’re battling for the championship. Unfortunately, in this situation, it was completely outside of our hands. We literally were waiting for things to happen, and they did." “It was destiny,” Castroneves continued. “I always say if it’s meant to be it will be, and I’m so glad it was our turn. You never give up. … We never gave up.” (Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)
(Sebring)
In the midst of everything else going on during the course of 12 hours and 348 laps around Sebring’s famed - and brutal - 17-turn, 3.74-mile circuit, the No. 52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA LMP2 07/Michelin co-driven by Patrick Kelly, Simon Trummer and Scott Huffaker claimed the race win in the LMP2 class after already claiming the team and driver championships Nov. 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The most important element to the team’s success? Its drivers get along. “We all have fun together,” Kelly said. “We all enjoy each other’s company. We all have relatively similar driving styles. We all kind of agree on the setup, which I think is always really nice. The really wonderful thing is we win or lose as friends and as a team. We don’t look at each other like, ‘I wish you had done this,’ or ‘I wish you had done that.’” (Thank you to Jeff Olson/IMSA Wire Service)
(IMSA)
The Porsche GT Team closed its successful GTLM program with an unexpected 1-2 finish Saturday at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts, wrapping up the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with three straight class victories. The No. 911 Porsche 911 RSR-19/Michelin driven by Nick Tandy, Fred Makowiecki and Earl Bamber crossed the finish line 9.025 seconds ahead of the No. 912 Porsche 911 RSR-19/Michelin piloted by Bamber, Laurens Vanthoor and Neel Jani. It was the first 1-2 finish for the team since the cars finished in the same order last year at VIRginia International Raceway and was the third consecutive Twelve Hours of Sebring triumph for Tandy and Makowiecki. “To finish this season with three wins in a row in the last three races is pretty unbelievable,” Tandy said. “It goes to show that all the people that have been here over the last three races have put in an unbelievable effort. To win three in a row and to win this one at Sebring with a 1-2, it’s like a fairytale ending.” The storybook ending for Porsche’s GTLM program that began in 2014 didn’t look like it had much chance of happening until less than 18 minutes remained in the race. The No. 25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE/Michelin appeared in control until an incident on the final race restart collected Connor De Phillippi in the No. 25 and GTD class leader Jeff Westphal in the No. 63 Scuderia Corsa Ferrari 488 GT3/Michelin. The two Porsches avoided the incident precipitated when Lawson Aschenbach’s No. 74 Riley Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3/Michelin ran into the back of the No. 25, which was then turned into the No. 63. “We were trying to chase down the No. 25 and we probably didn’t have the pace on them on a long run,” Tandy admitted, “but we were obviously trying to keep pressure on them. … I watched when he (De Phillippi) went off into the grass, went up the inside and said, ‘Ooh, we’re in the lead!’ It was good for us. We were happy with it.” Bamber said he couldn’t think of a better way to earn his first Twelve Hours of Sebring win and sent out the Porsche GTLM project on the highest of notes. “It’s awesome to finally get that first win at Sebring; been trying quite a few times,” he said. “I think it’s a super fitting way to finish the program. The last race is always what you’re remembered by and a 1-2 is the perfect way to go out for this program.” Corvette Racing had a rare off day, its cars finishing fifth and sixth in class after both dealt with rear suspension issues necessitating lengthy repairs in the paddock. It couldn’t spoil the fact that Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor (No. 3 Corvette C8.R/Michelin) had already clinched the GTLM driver and team championships. And by starting the race, Chevrolet sewed up the manufacturer crown as well. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
(Porsche)
It took the entire 2020 season to get a victory and it may have been a bit of a gift, but Patrick Long/Ryan Hardwick/Jan Heylen (No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R/Michelin) eagerly accepted their GTD class spoils of victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. The No. 16 Porsche was the beneficiary on the final restart when the cars that were running 1-2 in GTD – the No. 63 Ferrari and No. 74 Riley Mercedes-AMG – were involved in a three-car incident in Turn 3. It opened the path for Long to zoom into the lead in the No. 16 and drive on to his fourth Twelve Hours of Sebring victory and the first WeatherTech Championship win of any kind for co-drivers Ryan Hardwick and Jan Heylen. “I never thought my first win would come here,” Hardwick said. “I just feel really fortunate to be in this position and with this team. We knew we had to win this race to have any shot at the championship and that’s all we talked about these last few weeks. This one is special for me.” The No. 16 drivers battled a malfunctioning left rear shock most of the race that hindered its handling. But when it counted most on the final restart, Long maneuvered past the crash ahead and held off Roman De Angelis in the No. 23 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3/Michelin by 3.27 seconds. “It was a spectacle in itself as we came out of Turn 1,” Long said. “It seemed like Lawson and the Merc had a tremendous pace, and it seemed like he was going to go through come hell or high water. Unfortunately, he took a car with him and it opened the door for us. It feels like the monkey off the back to finally get a victory at the biggest race of the year, at least in my opinion.” Meanwhile, the No. 86 Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian Acura NSX GT3/Michelin driven by Mario Farnbacher, Matt McMurry and Shinya Michimi played the patient game and finished third, bringing home the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD team and driver championships for the second straight year. In addition to repeating as the team champion, the No. 86 helped Acura secure the manufacturer crown this year in GTD as well. (Thank you to Mark Robinson/IMSA Wire Service)
(Autosport)
Joan Mir (No. 36 Team SUZUKI ECSTAR GSX-RR/Michelin) finished seventh in the Valencia MotoGP to wrap-up the 2020 MotoGP World Championship. Mir's title victory comes in only his second season of MotoGP competition, and only his fifth full season of GP racing. It was also a huge moment for the Suzuki Ecstar team, marking only the seventh premier class win in what is its 60th anniversary season of GP competition, while it is its first championship since Kenny Roberts Jr. won the 2000 500GP title. Franco Morbidelli (No. 21 Petronas Yamaha SRT/Michelin) won a last lap duel with Jack Miller (No. 43 Pramac Racing Ducati/Michelin) and Pol Espargaro (No. 44 Red Bull KTM RC16/Michelin) finished third.